Conventionally, an electrographic image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile or a multifunction peripheral includes a fixing device configured to fix a toner image onto a recording medium, such as a sheet. For the fixing device, a heat roller manner is widely used. The heat roller manner is a manner to form a fixing nip by using a pair of rollers.
On the other hand, a fixing manner is being shifted from the above-mentioned heat roller manner to a belt manner to reduce a heat capacity of the fixing device and to shorten a warm-up time. The belt manner is a manner to form a fixing nip by using a fixing belt.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a fixing device including a fixing belt, a pressuring member (see “pressuring roller 22” of Patent Document 1) configured to come into pressure contact with the fixing belt so as to form a fixing nip, a heat source (see “halogen heater 23” of Patent Document 1) arranged at an inside in a radial direction of the fixing belt, a pressing member (see “nip forming member 24” of Patent Document 1) configured to press the fixing belt to a side of the pressuring member and a supporting member (see “stay 25” of Patent Document 1) configured to support the pressing member.
With regard to the fixing device with such a configuration, if radiant heat from the heat source is directly radiated to the supporting member, the heat escapes to the supporting member. Accompanying to this, it becomes impossible to efficiently heat the fixing belt and there is a concern that temperature rise performance of the fixing belt is deteriorated. Thus, in Patent Document 1, a reflecting member is arranged between the heat source and the supporting member so as to prevent the radiant heat from the heat source from being directly radiated to the supporting member and to efficiently heat the fixing belt.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2013-145288